UN ramps up cholera response in North Darfur as violence triggers new displacement

September 9, 2026 (UNITED NATIONS) – Aid agencies have launched an emergency vaccination campaign to reach tens of thousands of people in Sudan’s North Darfur state as the country battles a worsening cholera outbreak alongside fresh displacement, the United Nations said on Wednesday.

The 10-day campaign, supported by the World Health Organization and local authorities, aims to immunise at least 95,000 people in the Tawila area, U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters.

Sudan’s latest cholera surge, declared in June, has sickened nearly 2,900 people and killed at least 247 across six states, according to WHO figures cited by the U.N.

The public health emergency comes as persistent insecurity continues to uproot communities in remote border regions.

About 1,300 people fled their homes last week in North Darfur’s Um Baru locality near the border with Chad following an escalation in violence, according to the International Organization for Migration.

Along Sudan’s southeastern frontier with Ethiopia, more than 3,300 people were forced to abandon several villages in the Geisan locality of Blue Nile State due to deteriorating security, the migration agency reported.

Humanitarian officials also warned of mounting intercommunal friction in South and Central Darfur, where several deadly incidents have occurred in recent days.

The spokesperson was referring to the resumption of the clashes between the Salamat and Beni Halba, two tribes allied to the Rapid Support Forces.

The United Nations urged all conflicting parties to uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, and to allow rapid, safe, and unhindered passage for humanitarian relief.